Vexatious Vampire
by Robin111
Summary: Marshall Lee was really starting to get on Fionna's nerves. Constantly teasing and underestimating her, what was his problem? But then he could be as sweet as anything. WHAT IN GLOB'S NAME IS GOING ON?
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry, not great at summaries. Still working on the next couple of chapters so if I decide to continue this I'll upload them soon :) **

* * *

"Quick Cake!" Fionna screamed, "He's getting away!"

"I'm right behind you honey" Cake replied.

With that the two girl's paces quickened, following in pursuit of the giant footprints in the mud. Fionna spotted the ogre up ahead and headed directly towards him, pulling her sword out from behind her and holding it above her head.

"Come here and let me kick your buns!" she yelled.

The ogre stopped and turned, letting out an angry growl, towering over Fionna and Cake making them look tiny. The ogre's rotting breath made their eyes water and their stomachs heave. Ignoring the smell Fionna leapt forward swinging her sword whilst Cake grew until she too was the size of the disgusting monster and tried to land a punch on his jaw. The beast roared and swung is huge fist, catching Cake in the stomach. She shrank back down to normal size clutching her waist, obviously winded.

"Cake, are you okay?!" Fionna cried out, a look of deep worry etched on her face

"Yeah girl, I'm good I just need to sit for a minute" Cake choked, taking deep gulps of air,

"You go get him! Get him good!"

Fionna nodded and realising the beast had already turned and fled she sprinted after him. She was running fast, heart and feet pounding as she struggled to keep up. Suddenly she smacked into something soft, with a grunt she fell to the ground and was dazed for a moment. Fionna looked up to see a pair of red and white converse, and as she continued looking up this was followed by a pair of scruffy jeans, a red and black flannel shirt and finally a mess of black hair.

"MARSHALL" Fionna raged, she jumped to her feet, fist clenched,

"What the flip dude?! That stinking ogre's getting away!"

She tried to dodge around him but whatever way she turned he was always there, floating casually in front of her. Fionna was starting to get really annoyed, what in Glob's name did he think he was doing? Her face went red with anger and her eyes locked onto Marshall who when seeing her face, started to back away a little.

"Marshall" She growled, "if you do not move your butt out of the way Glob help me I will..."

She swung at the startled Vampire, then taking the opportunity, started running towards where she had last seen the giant ogre. If stupid Marshall hadn't got in the way she could be kicking major ogre butt right now! What was with him?! As Fionna started regaining pace, she felt cold hands around her waist and her feet started to lift off the ground. Working out what was going on she kicked and thrashed but that only made his grip tighten. They floated only a few feet from the ground where the branches surrounding them hid them in shade, not allowing the sunlight to touch them. This only maddened Fionna more because she knew exactly who was stopping her defeating evil, this was her duty and a job that she loved and Fionna did not take kindly to being kept from it. Swinging her fists she landed a blow on his shoulder, this didn't do much and the only response was quiet chuckling from behind her head.

"Is that the best you got little girl?" he whispered in her ear

Steam was practically bursting from the blonde's ears and her body shook with rage.

" .DOWN" Fionna shrieked and with as much power as she could muster, raised her elbow up and thrust it swiftly behind her shoulder, smacking Marshall hard on the bridge of his nose.

"Oh Glob!" He yelped and clutched his face with both hands, dropping Fionna in the process.

She fell to the ground, banging her knee on a nearby rock. Ignoring the pain she got up and brushed herself down then ran out from the trees and into the sun where she knew he could not follow her. Glancing around she saw her chances were hopeless of finding the ogre now, she sighed knowing that she would have to come back tomorrow. Fionna would never break her promise to the Peanut people which meant she had to take down that stupid, stealing ogre. Fionna could not walk very fast; a slow limp was all that she could manage without the pain in her knee becoming too unbearable. She wondered where Cake was. Was she alright? Had she gone back to the Tree House? As if Cake could hear her thoughts, she appeared from out of nowhere riding on Lord Monochromicorn's back.

"Jump on sweetie!" She called.

As soon as Lord Mo-Chro neared the ground Fionna grabbed Cake's outstretched paws and flung herself onto his back.

"Thanks guys" She smiled,

"No problem honey" Cake said and Lord Mo-Chro just neighed in response.

Fionna assumed this meant no problem and relaxed a little, rolling her tense shoulders. She glanced down at her knee to see a trail of blood had dribbled down her leg from a slice just above her knee cap.

"Great." Fionna sighed then turned to Cake.

"You would not believe what happened back there sis!" She exclaimed

"What?!" Cake replied, "Did you take that evil dude down?"

Fionna's fists started clenching at the memory of what had happened.

"I would have if it wasn't for Marshall! He totally ruined my plans and got in the way!"

As Fionna explained everything that had happened Cake grew just as angry and by the time they had reached their home they were both boiling with rage.

"Thanks Lord Mo-Chro" Fionna said as she jumped from his back,

"I think Cake's a bit...distracted at the minute, it's probably best if you go for now and I'll send her over to yours after she's cooled down."

Lord Monochromicorn stomped a hoof and neighed, flying off towards the Candy Kingdom. Fionna turned to Cake and together they walked inside.

"Seriously" Cake started, "What is that boys problem? I told you he was bad news"

Fionna frowned in thought. Marshall had just been teasing her, but it had been at completely the wrong time! Surely he saw how busy she was! He knew how seriously she took her job as protector of Aaa. After talking for a while Cake suggested she make them dinner. Remembering she had told Lord Mo-Chro Cake would go to his, Fionna told Cake to go, she could take care of herself for the evening.

"You sure you're gunna be okay sugar?" Cake said, looking slightly worried

"I'll be fine" Fionna chirped, "Now go! Lover boys waiting"

Cake giggled and finally left, leaving Fionna with the house to herself, not something she was used to. Fionna sniffed, Glob she smelled! She looked in a mirror to see dirt on her face and decided she'd have to have a shower. After she had washed, Fionna chucked on some pyjama shorts and an old, faded T-shirt. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and feeling refreshed she slumped onto the couch and started playing video games.

Hours later, Fionna yawned and dropped her controller beside her. Rubbing her eyes she climbed into bed, sleep was calling her and she welcomed it. Just as she had gotten comfy there was a knock at the door. Screaming into her pillow she stomped to the door and swung it open, ready to snap the head of whoever was disturbing her from the sleep she craved.


	2. Chapter 2

**Kept making the mistake of calling Prince Gumball Prince Bubblegum. Think I corrected most of them so if you see it in there, you know why.**

* * *

Marshall had gotten home quickly; ready to get some sleep before tonight. He chuckled as he remember the rage on Fionna's face today. It was so easy to tease her. He had to admit he may have been a bit of a jerk, but it was only a bit of fun. It had not just been teasing though. At first he had just wanted to annoy her but after seeing her huge opponent he felt he couldn't let her try to take him down. Now Marshall knew Fionna was very capable of looking after herself but something had stirred in his chest at the thought of her going after that ogre alone. He couldn't have fought with her without stepping out of the shadows and burning in the sunlight but he could stop her going out there and getting seriously beat up...or worse. He slapped his forehead and sighed, he was getting way too soft. He was bad, evil even and he needed to start acting like it. Marshall shrugged, he'd start tomorrow. Or the day after. Whatever, he had pretty much all of eternity to get back his reputation; tonight however, he had a certain bunny to apologize to. Well 'apologize' is a strong word and it really wasn't his style. Instead he was going to make her see his side of the story so that she stopped being so mad at him then they could play BMO or something. Marshall was sure it would work, no one could resist his charm and she'd be begging him to hang out with her by the end of the night. Well, at least he hoped she would. With a smirk he floated over to his bed and closed his eyes.

When Marshall woke, he was greeted by the cool breeze of the night sky and the eerie silence it brought. These were things he had grown to love much more than the warmth of the sun or the busy noises that accompanied the daytime. Stretching, he showered and chucked on whatever he found in his drawer before running a hand through his untidy hair and declaring himself ready to leave.

It was the perfect night; calm, cool and dark. Floating towards Fionna and Cake's Tree House he strummed on his axe guitar and hummed to himself. He was halfway there when he heard commotion below him and glanced down to see a flash of blue and pink disappearing into the shadows. There was only one pretentious, royal; gum-butt that he knew would be wearing enough pink for him to be able to see it from the sky. He wondered if he should help then decided he'd run it by Fionna first, after all she was probably in the right frame of mind to kick some serious buns. He just hoped it wouldn't be his, Glob she could throw a punch! His fingers shot up to his nose as he remembered how hard she had hit him. Marshall started to wonder if visiting had been such a good idea after all. Wow, first he had turned soft and now he was scared of a girl. Quickly checking to see that Prince Gumball and who he presumed to be the Ice Queen really had vanished, Marshall sped up towards the nearing Tree House, Fionna would not be happy that her precious pink pal had been kidnapped. Again.

* * *

She had opened the door to see a very calm and collected Marshall floating outside, his head rested on his pale, slender arms.

"What's up?" He smirked.

If she hadn't been so tired Fionna would have done some serious damage but she was too frustrated with Marshall and just shut the door on him instead. A moment later he knocked. Then knocked again. Then again. Fionna's head was banging and she wanted to scream. It was silent for a moment then the door creaked open and Marshall drifted in.

"...you left the door unlocked" He said and sat down on the nearby couch.

Fionna just stared at him for a moment. He wasn't at all bothered by how angry he had made her and she was starting to get really tired of him. Marshall was great for a jam sesh or pranks or just hanging out with from time to time and he and Fionna had really started to become good friends. Fionna didn't want to admit it but when people told her to stay away from him maybe she should have listened and saved herself from...well from all this!

"Marshall, I don't want to speak to you right now so please...just go"

Marshall frowned at her defeated attitude. This wasn't like Fionna at all.

"Look" Marshall said, "I know you're angry and all but come on! It was just a laugh."

"It might have been funny for you" Fionna growled "But I was not laughing."

She looked kind of cute when she was angry Marshall thought and he couldn't help but giggle. Big mistake. Fionna grabbed him by the collar, kicked the door open and shoved Marshall out. He was amazed by her sudden strength and was about to respect her wishes and leave her to cool off when he remembered Gumball.

"Well..." Marshall called out loud enough so that Fionna could hear him, "We'll just have to see if Prince Gum-butt can manage to escape from the Ice Queen himself this time"

It was silent, Marshall wasn't sure if Fionna had heard him and was about to repeat himself when he heard footsteps stomping up the stairs, drawers being opened and shut, stuff being thrown about the room and then the same stomping coming back down the stairs. Fionna, now changed into her adventure clothes and wearing her green backpack, walked out the door and slammed it behind her, glaring viciously at Marshall the whole time.

"Take me to Gumball" She grumbled and without letting her see his smile, Marshall put her on his back and together they flew off towards the Ice Kingdom.

On their way to the Ice Kingdom, Fionna tried to ignore how surprisingly warm and cosy she felt against Marshall and focused on how much of an idiot he was. As she did this, her grip tightened around his chest and her nails started to dig into him.

"Uh...Fionna?"

She glared and the vampire in response.

"That kinda hurts..."

Once again all he received in response was a glare but she released her grip slightly, seeing that they were almost there.

Marshall let Fionna slid of his back once they had reached the entrance to the Ice Queen's lair. As she landed on the ice, Fionna felt her foot slip out from beneath her and before she could fall Marshall reached out and grabbed her. Fionna could feel her heart beating against his chest and looked up at him. Marshall was staring back at her with an expression that Fionna couldn't read. She realised how long they had been standing like that and she quickly shoved him away and headed off to find Gumball. Marshall was still for a moment then turned and followed after her, the bunny ears on her hat flopping adorably. Seriously, Marshall thought to himself. Get. A. Grip.

Once they were inside, Fionna focussed her determination on finding Gumball and bringing him back to the Candy Kingdom safely. She knew Marshall didn't get why she was such good friends with him so she was curious as to why he had come to her for help saving Gumball when he clearly disliked him. She sighed, boys were so annoying sometimes. Marshall was annoying for the obvious reasons but Gumball...well he was a different case all together. Sometimes Fionna was sure he liked her. They would have deep conversations and get really close and Fionna would get butterflies in her stomach. Then out of nowhere he seemed to realise something and his eyes became distant and he looked...well he looked defeated. Then he'd make up excuses for not seeing her for about a week then the whole thing would start again! Fionna noticed Marshall was floating next to her; she must have had a puzzled look on her face because he was staring at her curiously. Fionna stopped walking, crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at him. She saw him start to squirm, he looked uncomfortable and as if there was something he needed to say. Then he bottled it up and put on his flirtatious front as usual.

"See something you like?" He winked.

Fionna shook her head and carried on walking, missing the look of disappointment and regret on Marshall's face. In the distant a mumbled voice called out.

"ICE QUEEN...I demand...right now...so help me I-" then the sound of a blast of ice coming into contact with something could be heard.

"Prince Gumball!" Fionna shouted and dashed off towards the noise.

Fionna rounded the corner, drawing out her sword as she stared at the scene that lay before her. Gumball's hands and feet were frozen together with ice and the Ice Queen was trying to tape a black suit and tie to his body. She herself was wearing an extremely frilly and quite frankly hideous wedding dress. Fionna stood there, dazed by the weirdness of the situation. Marshall quickly joined her side, laughing out loud when he saw what was happening. He was met with glares from everyone in the room and he put his hands up in defence.

"Well this is...romantic" He grinned and floated over towards Prince Gumball.

"Black suits you." He said and the Prince just rolled his eyes at him.

Fionna raised her sword to the Ice Queen who snarled at her and raised her hands ready to blast the human girl with her ice powers.

"How many times Ice Queen?" Fionna sighed, "Prince Gumball does NOT want to marry you!"

She sliced her sword through the air, not meaning to hit the deranged Queen but just to force her further back away from the Prince.

"He does!" The Queen cried out, "We're in love you see! Prince Gumball really likes my hot bod"

Marshall snickered and Gumball groaned.

"Ew." Fionna replied and turned to Marshall,

"Break the ice will you? I'll deal with this butt-faced pig!"

She drew her attention to the angered Queen, ignoring Marshall's groaning. She kicked the Ice Queen, narrowly dodging a blast of ice. Whilst the Queen was on the floor, Fionna kicked off her crown which rolled towards the other end of the icy room and made a loud clattering noise as it came to rest on the floor.

"No! My crown!" The Ice Queen shouted and went to retrieve it.

As she did this, Fionna looked to see that Marshall had freed Prince Gumball and she shouted at them to follow her. Once they had gotten far enough away they all stopped to catch their breath. Well, apart from Marshall of course.

"Thank-huh-you-huh-Fionna-huh-once-huh-again-" Gumball puffed between breaths.

Not wanting to sound silly trying to talk out of breath, Fionna smiled and nodded at the Prince who smiled back. After they had regained themselves, Prince Gumball offered Fionna a ride home which she gladly accepted. When Lord Monochromicorn arrived, the Prince gracefully stepped onto his back and like the gentleman he was, offered Fionna his hand which she took whilst blushing.

Marshall, who had been watching the whole thing felt something kick in his gut and he frowned. Awkwardly the two remembered he was still standing there and turned to face him, still holding hands.

"Uh...Would you like to join us Marshall?" The Prince asked, rubbing his arm.

Marshall grinned, "Nah, I have much better things to be doing." And with that he disappeared into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is a bit shorter but I wanted to fit everything else in to the next chapter :)**

* * *

The ride home had been amazing. It was a clear and calm evening and as Fionna lay back she could see the stars twinkling in the sky. Gumball lay next to her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He whispered

Fionna giggled to herself, he sounded so cheesy yet as she glanced over at him she couldn't help but feel her heart quicken. He too turned to her and reached out his hand, brushing the hair from her eyes. His skin was so soft against her face and he let his hand linger there for a moment. Fionna could barely breathe, she just stared back at him, eyes wide and mouth probably gaping. Suddenly Prince Gumball coughed and snapped back his hand, a blush spreading across his pink cheeks.

"Looks like you're home Fionna." He said, and gestured towards her door.

Still unsure of what had just happened, Fionna slid to the floor cautiously. She turned to Gumball and opened her mouth to say something but found she could not think of anything to say.

"Goodbye, Fionna" Gumball smiled sadly and with that, he was gone.

In a daze, Fionna stumbled into her house and trudged upstairs to where Cake lay sleeping. Her paws were curled around the note Fionna had left her telling her she had gone out to see Gumball. Whilst this was not far from the truth, Fionna had not wanted to worry Cake by telling her where she had really gone and especially who she had gone with. She would tell her in the morning. Not bothering to get changed, Fionna slumped onto her bed and was asleep within minutes.

* * *

Gumball paced around his room. This was not going to work. It was just that she had looked so pretty lying there and...and he like some kind of idiot had started touching her face. He knew his behavior was starting to get on Fionna's nerves, getting close and then distant, but it was just so hard. Prince Gumball knew he and Fionna could never be together, he had long since been arranged to marry a princess. The thing was he had no idea which princess it was. He would find out on his 21st birthday, as had always been the tradition. Whoever it was, they would have been chosen not for personality but for the things that were needed for an heir that would be perfectly adapted to take over the throne.

He sighed. For once he wished he didn't have to play by the rules and be able to marry whoever he wanted, but he had his kingdom to think about. That still left him with the problem of Fionna. He had liked her for some time and his feelings had grown over the years. Fionna was 16 now; even though Prince Gumball knew she was too young for him he couldn't help but find her attractive, and funny, and brave and...unavailable to him. He decided from now on he would bottle up his feelings for good and keep them well hidden from Fionna. It wouldn't do them any good if he admitted how he felt to her because soon he would be married and it would just upset them both. In the morning he would set things straight, already dreading it, Gumball lay down and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

"WAKEY WAKEY SUNSHINE" Cake shouted into Fionna's face

"Oh Glob!" She screamed back and fell out of bed.

Rubbing her elbow she frowned.

"Cake! What was that for?"

Giggling, Cake helped her to her feet.

"Oh, you know, I was just excited to hear how your little date with Prince Gumball went last night?" she said, jumping with glee.

"Date, what date?" Fionna replied.

There had definitely been no date. Then she remembered the note she had left Cake and slapped her forehead. She was going to have to explain the whole thing before Cake got the wrong idea, although it already seemed a little too late for that. Fionna grumbled and headed to the kitchen to get something to eat. Cake was babbling on in the background but Fionna wasn't really listening. Reaching into the cupboard for cereal she froze.

"What did you just say Cake?" Fionna asked, whipping round to face her.

"Girl, you need to listen! I said Prince Gumball was here earlier and asked me to tell you to go meet him this afternoon!"

"Wha-What?" The girl stuttered in reply.

She pushed back down the hope that had been rising in her chest. He most likely had a mission for her or something, there was no way he'd planned anything else...was there? Shaking her head she muttered something about going to get dressed. Cake leaped in front of her.

"Damn right you're getting dressed and don't even think about wearing that little blue ensemble! You wanna look nice for Gumball don't you?"

Still not in the mood for explaining everything to Cake, Fionna just grunted and headed upstairs. She chucked on some blue skinny jeans and a purple T-shirt with dark purple swirls on the sleeves. She headed back down stairs when a paw stuck out and pulled her back in.

"Oh no you don't!" Cake said sassily, "Don't you wanna look good?"

"I thought I looked alright." Mumbled Fionna

"You look fine" the cat replied, "but don't you want to stand out?"

Only getting a tired look in response, Cake placed her paws on her hips and gave in.

"Fine you can wear that, but at least let me do your hair!"

Before Fionna could respond, Cake whipped off her bunny hat. Then, Cake grew her hand until it was shaped like a large pair of scissors. Fionna heard a quick snip from behind her and then glanced down to see her long blonde locks on the floor. Dashing over to a mirror to see the damage, Fionna was shocked to see that her once long hair now came down a few inches past her shoulders. Still in a dazzled state, she felt herself pulled back by Cake who then dragged what Fionna presumed to be a brush through what was left of her blonde hair and then she was pushed out the door in to the open.

"That cat is crazy." Fionna said to herself and headed over towards the Candy Kingdom trying desperately not to get her hopes up.

* * *

When Fionna arrived, she realised she had no idea where she was meant to meet Prince Gumball. She wandered around, probably looking a little lost even though she had been to this Kingdom countless times before. She couldn't see him, but Prince Gumball was actually in his tower, watching the wandering girl. A few moments later, Fionna heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see Gumball pacing towards her. He looked worried.

"Fionna, you're here." He said and forced a smile

"Yeah...uh, is there a mission you need me to go on or...or, something else?" Fionna asked, unable to hide the hopefulness in her voice.

Prince Gumball took a deep breath and took Fionna's hand.

"Actually, there is something I'd like to talk to you about, but perhaps we should go somewhere a little more private." He said

And together they walked off, one practically bouncing with excitement and the other looking tired and depressed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 :) I keep trying to make my chapters longer but it never ends up how I want.**

* * *

Fionna had been wandering around for hours. It had started to get dark now but she wasn't worried, she had proven more than enough times that she was perfectly capable of defending herself. Prince Gumball's words still drifted around her head.

"_We can never be together...You're just not right for me, and I-I don't want to lead you on. I don't want you." _

That had hurt. What was so wrong with her that she wasn't right for him? Actually, the more Fionna thought about it, the more she could see what was wrong with her. She was too boyish, too childish, too silly, not pretty enough, the list was endless. It was funny; she had never noticed nor cared about these things before, but now all of a sudden she was almost in tears thinking that Gumball would never want her because of them.

Fionna wasn't crying though, it was something she just didn't do. Well, perhaps once or twice but she strived never to do it in public. Trying to push her woes from herself, she sighed deeply and carried on walking. Where she was going, she didn't know, but she couldn't face Cake right now. Fionna found herself thinking about Marshall, surprisingly. She wondered what he was doing. She thought back to the incident with the ogre, maybe he had been protecting her? That was stupid Fionna though, frowning, she had killed loads of them before. Granted, this was the biggest one she had ever seen but she knew she could take it! Then Fionna remembered that she still hadn't killed it down, and she had promised too. She could never go back on her word.

"Well then" Fionna said, to no one in particular, "Let's go get that ogre".

She started walking off towards where she had fought (or tried to fight) him last. It would take her hours! She could ask Marshall to help. Then she could properly ask him about what had happened, and he could help her fight because if she was honest, being completely rejected by Gumball had drained her emotionally and the walking had drained her physically. Fionna decided that was the best plan she could think of and changed direction towards the cave Marshall called home.

* * *

Marshall had been writing a new song for LSP's upcoming beach party when he heard a knock at the door. Who in Glob's name would that be? He never got visitors apart from Fionna and Cake from time to time and he wasn't expecting them. He peeped through his window to see Fionna standing on his doorstep, her bunny hat was gone and she was actually wearing something other than the blue shirt and skirt combo. Marshall had to admit, she looked pretty good.

"MARSHALL!" Fionna shouted impatiently and pounded on the door.

Marshall opened the door quickly, ducking to avoid the fist that was coming towards him.

"Oh sorry" Fionna said sheepishly, "I was going to knock again"

"Knock!" Marshall exclaimed "More like break my door down!"

Fionna chuckled then cleared her throat.

"I was wondering whether you'd want to go on an adventure. I still have an ogre to take down thanks to you so it's the least you could do for me." She said, glaring at Marshall as she spoke the last part.

He put his hand to his chin and rubbed it, pretending to debate whether or not to go. Fionna just rolled her eyes at him and hit him on the arm.

"Well, will you do it or not?" She asked

"I'm not sure" He replied, "Why not get Cake, or even Prince Gum Wad seeing as you guys have been getting so close recently"

Marshall saw something change in Fionna's eyes and she looked to the floor quickly then started rubbing her shoe against the ground.

"I'm asking you" She mumbled, looking up at him.

Looking into her eyes Marshall knew he couldn't say no. He smiled at her, knowing something was wrong.

"Sure Fi, let me just go get my axe guitar, it can still do some serious damage for aninstrument."

Looking relieved, Fionna's shoulders relaxed and she grinned. A few seconds later, Marshall returned and crouched down, gesturing for her to get on his back. Then they flew off towards the woods, the moon now high in the sky. Fionna wasn't even sure if the ogre would be out at this time but maybe that was to their advantage, they could attack him whilst he slept and have the element of surprise. They flew in silence, not an awkward silence, but the kind that they were both comfortable with. Fionna took this moment as a chance to ask Marshall some things she had on her mind.

"Marshall" She started, "The other day, why wouldn't you let me take on the ogre?"

He tensed, she could feel his muscles tighten and she pulled her arms around him tighter, scared of falling. He didn't answer for a while but then relaxed.

"I was just teasing" He said.

"Oh" Fionna replied, "Do you not think you went a little too far?"

Again, he waited a while before answering, as if he had to gather up the courage to speak to her.

"Yes" he whispered, which made Fionna lean in closer so she could hear better, "And I'm sorry".

Wait...did Marshall Lee just apologize? Fionna was shocked and she laughed.

"Do you know that is the first time I've ever heard you say sorry for anything." She said

"Yes" he grinned, "and it will be the last time too."

"We'll see" She smirked and they looked at each other, smiling.

For now at least, Fionna had forgotten earlier events and the aching pain in her gut had started to weaken. Of course it would take an obnoxious vampire to make her feel better.

* * *

Cake was starting to worry. Fionna had been gone for hours and it was really late. She wondered if she was still with Prince Gumball. Why would she be there so late though? A sudden though occurred to her and she stuck out her claws in rage.

"IF THAT PRINCE HAS TOUCHED MY BABY GLOB HELP ME" Cake shouted, and ran off towards the candy kingdom.

It didn't take her long to get there and she burst through the main doors. Peppermint maid rushed over to her.

"Cake!" She exclaimed "What are you doing here so late?"

"No time to talk Peppermint maid, where's Gumball?" Cake asked through gritted teeth

"He's in his room" the maid replied "but-"

Before she could reply, Cake ran off towards Prince Gumball's chambers.

"He's asleep; he went to bed early after Fionna left!" Peppermint called after her, but it was no use, her words fell on deaf ears.

Bursting the door to the Prince's room open, the Prince sat up slowly, rubbing his head.

"Cake, what's going on?" He asked groggily.

"WHERE'S FIONNA?" She screamed in reply.

Looking confused, Gumball didn't answer for a while but as he saw Cake step closer to him, claws out and ready to strike him, he quickly rushed to reply.

"She went home! I thought she was with you!" he shouted.

Glancing around the room, Cake saw that Fionna was not there and she relaxed a little, but was still on edge. She quickly checked the ensuite in Gumball's room then under his bed. When she was satisfied that Fionna really was not there she put her claws away and turned back to Gumball.

"Well if she's not here, where is she?" Cake asked, worry taking over her anger.

Gumball swung his legs out of his bed and slipped his feet into his slippers. He looked down at his feet for a moment, guilt rushing over him. It was his fault! If he hadn't been so harsh to her earlier then she would have gone straight home, now she was upset and alone, out there somewhere wandering around in the dark. He flashed back to what had happened earlier on. He remembered Fionna's face, how it had crumbled as he spoke. Her eyes had welled up with tears and she had looked at him in a way he hoped no one would ever look at him again. He himself had almost cried. He thought being firm with her would make sure she would stay away, so she wouldn't get hurt. He had been so wrong. He had hurt her more than the truth probably would have, why could he only see that now?! Fionna would remember the pain caused by rejection much more than the pain caused by the truth.

"Gumball?"

Cake's voice pulled him away from his thoughts.

"What did you talk to her about earlier?" Cake asked

Gumball gulped and looked up into the protective cat's eyes.

"You're not going to like this" he whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's Chapter 5 :) Thanks to the followers and reviews, cruelistnightmare yours really made me laugh XD**

* * *

"That was AWESOME!" Fionna shrieked, punching her arm in the air.

Marshall floated on his back beside her, his arms resting behind his head.

"I was pretty cool" He smiled, "You're not bad at fighting for a girl."

"Is that right?" She asked, "I could beat you in a battle any day."

Marshall just chuckled to himself and floated over to the bulging ogre that lay in front of him. His nose crinkled at the smell. He looked over at Fionna who was brushing the dirt off her jeans and tying her hair back into a cute ponytail. He wondered why she was wearing different clothes. Probably some idea of Cake's if he knew her at all, but why?

"So, what's with the new look Fionna?" Marshall asked

Fionna looked down, as if she had forgotten what she was wearing.

"Oh...that...I uh, just wanted a change" Fionna answered hurriedly.

She started rubbing her hands as if she was nervous and looked off into the distance.

"Fi...is something wrong?" Marshall asked gently,

"No! I'm fine!" She replied with a smile that was much too forced.

Marshall decided to leave it. If she wanted to tell him then she would, he had that effect on people. He ran his hand through his hair and saw that they didn't have long until the sun was up. Damn it! He had been having such a good time as well, not that he'd tell Fionna that. He was a cool vampire, he couldn't be all soppy.

"Well, I think I better be heading back, don't want to get burnt by the sun and all..." Marshall said

"Oh yeah, sure, I forgot about that. Besides, you need to get your beauty sleep" Fionna grinned.

Marshall frowned, mocking great confusion.

"Now why would I need beauty sleep when I look like THIS" He said, gesturing to himself.

Fionna laughed and shoved him on the shoulder.

"You're such an idiot."

* * *

"FIONNA, WHERE ARE YOU?" Cake shouted, cupping her mouth with her hands.

She had grown so big she towered over everything; the biggest trees were crushed easily under her feet, as if she was only walking on grass. Every time Cake took a step the ground shook as if there was an earthquake and animals fled from her, in fear of being crushed. Being this size, it wasn't long till Fionna spotted the giant cat.

"Yo Cake! Over here!" She shouted

Relief washed over Cake and she ran towards Fionna, making the girl bounce up from the ground with every step. Just before she reached her, Cake shrunk down to normal size and pulled Fionna into a worried hug.

"Oh my Glob Fionna! What the hell are you doing all the way out here?!" Cake said.

Fionna rubbed the back of her neck,

"I just, wanted a walk?" she replied in an uncertain tone.

"Girl, you had me worried sick." Cake let out a deep breath as she spoke,

"I'm just glad you're safe, Gumball told me about everything."

"Oh...he did" Fionna said, looking to the ground in shame.

"Yes" Cake started, "and he also told me the truth, honey he was just being harsh to you because there was no other way!"

"Yeah, right." Fionna scoffed.

How could Cake believe this crap? Gumball wouldn't just lie for no reason, what he had said to her had been the absolute truth and now he was just trying to cover up his tracks. Whatever, Cake might have fallen for it but she certainly wouldn't.

"I'm serious!" Cake insisted, "He has to get married after his 21st birthday and he didn't want to get...too close to you, because it would make it even harder for both of you."

Fionna pondered this, unsure whether to believe it or not. What did it matter? Either way Gumball had been an idiot to her, if there was no need to say those things then why did he? And if it was the truth then he should have been able to trust Fionna with it.

"Whatever, I know you're trying to help Cake but I'm totally over Gumball, he can do what he wants." Fionna finally said.

Cake looked at her and her expression softened, she felt bad for the girl.

"Okay Fi, but what were you doing all night?" Cake asked.

Oh Glob. She was going to have to tell her she was with Marshall; she knew Cake thought he was dangerous.

"I was...uh...with Marshall" Fionna mumbled, muttering the last bit under her breath.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you?" Cake asked again, moving closer to Fionna.

"I was with Marshall." Fionna said, this time not bothering to try and hide it.

"YOU WHAT?! You know that guy is no good! I thought we both agreed on that after the other day?" Cake yelled.

"Yeah...but I think I've changed my mind...can we talk about this later? I'm really tired." Fionna grumbled whilst yawning.

Cake crossed her arms and tapped her foot, obviously wanting to discuss it now. Looking at Fionna she could tell she was exhausted and gave in. Rolling her eyes she grew in size and let Fionna on her back.

* * *

When they arrived back at the house, Fionna was surprised and pretty annoyed to find Prince Gumball waiting on their doorstep. He looked up and when he spotted Fionna he jumped to his feet, looking relieved. Fionna didn't know what he was relieved about. If he found it so hard not to get close to her he should have been hoping she never came back. Then he could go off and marry whatever silly princess he wanted. Actually, that wasn't fair. Whichever princess ended up marrying Gumball, Fionna was sure she wouldn't really have had a choice in the matter.

Fionna jumped off Cake's back and pushed past Gumball into their tree house.

"Fionna, wait, please!" He called out after her.

Fionna, despite herself, turned around to hear what he had to say. His voice still made her want to listen to every word he said. Surprised that he actually had Fionna's attention, the Prince was slightly lost for words.

"Oh, um, I wanted to apologize for the things I said, they weren't the tru-" Gumball started

Fionna sighed loudly, interrupting the Prince.

"Yes I know" She said tiredly, "Cake told me 'the truth' as you call it and either way I don't really care. You've messed me around for too long and guess what, now I'm the one who doesn't want YOU."

Gumball sat there, mouth open, shocked by this sudden outburst. Fionna herself was surprised. She hadn't meant to say all that! Whatever, she was tired and she was going to bed. With that, she turned and walked upstairs to her room and threw herself on the bed, leaving a miserable looking Gumball frozen in place downstairs.

* * *

Marshall had tried to sleep but had finally given up and gotten out of bed. For some reason he wasn't tired, yet it was still bright outside, probably around the middle of the day he guessed. Marshall wondered what Fionna was doing. Wait, why was he wondering that? Whatever, he'd go and see her later, they hadn't had a movie marathon in ages. First he had to finish some songs for the beach party LSP was having at the weekend, he was in charge of music for the night. Maybe Fionna would want to come, she'd have to bring Cake of course, there's no way she'd let Fionna go alone with him.

After a couple of hours Marshall had pretty much perfected all of his songs and headed out towards Fionna and Cake's. When he got there he decided to fly in through Fionna's window and sneak up on the girls, he just loved scaring Cake, it was hilarious! He pushed open the window and crept in. He didn't even notice Fionna still asleep in bed until he banged into a dresser and she woke up screaming.

"Fionna! Fionna! It's just me!" Marshall shouted over her screams, pinning her arms down with his hands.

Her heart was beating fast and she was shaking.

"Sorry...bad dream" She whispered and took a breath.

"It's okay, you're alright now" Marshall said and she grabbed onto him, pulling him into a hug.

Marshall was surprised; Fionna was never very affectionate, especially towards him. He hugged her back, enjoying her warmth and the smell of her hair pressed against his face. They stayed like that for a while until they were interrupted by the door slamming open and a very ferocious cat standing in the doorway.

Before Cake could react, Fionna ran over to her and calmed her down.

"It's okay Cake, I was upset and he was just being nice." Fionna told her.

Cake seemed sceptical, but chose to ignore that Marshall had snuck into Fionna's room and headed back downstairs.

"I'll be down in a bit Marshall, just need to get changed" Fionna said and walked into the bathroom.

He floated downstairs, trying to avoid a conversation with Cake. He saw she was packing a bag and not really paying much attention to him. When she was finished she turned around, glared at Marshall then called up the stairs to Fionna.

"Okay Fi I'm going to Lord Monochromicorn's now, don't get into trouble." She shouted

A faint reply came from upstairs which Marshall didn't hear but Cake obviously had.

"Thanks, I will. Are you sure you don't want to come? Prince Gumball was asking after you, he is really sorry you know." Cake asked

There was no reply which Cake took as a no. She sighed and walked out the door. Before actually leaving she turned to Marshall and squinted her eyes in suspicion. Cake may have been protective over Fionna but she was still scared of Vampires. Marshall stared back, making his eyes turn black until they looked like those of a demon and he gave an evil chuckle. Cake squealed and quickly left after that.

Laughing to himself, Marshall went over to the fridge and looked for any food he could drain the red from. He could only find one apple, he guessed that would do. Then he floated above the couch and waited for Fionna to come down.

* * *

Fionna hoped Marshall hadn't noticed she had been crying. She was sure her eyes had been obviously red and puffy but he hadn't said anything, which she took as a good sign. Fionna splashed a load of water in her face and chucked on her usual blue top, skirt and bunny hat. The hat fit snugly on her head and comforted her; she vowed never to let Cake convince her to take it off again. That probably wouldn't last long, Cake was great at persuasion.

Fionna skipped down the stairs, feeling a lot better after a good sleep. Today should be fun; Marshall always found cool things for them to do. Wow, since when had she started to depend on Marshall for a good time? Laughing she joined Marshall on the couch and relaxed, she might not have Gumball but she still had friends.


	6. Chapter 6

**Took a while to write this one, I'm running out of ideas XD Hopefully you like it.**

* * *

They were halfway through their movie when Marshall turned and looked at Fionna.

"What did Gumball do?" He asked curiously.

"Wha-what? How did you know about that?" Fionna replied in a worried tone,

"Cake shouted it up the stairs" He calmly replied.

Fionna looked at her lap and fiddled with her nails. Then she went back to watching the movie, pretending to be distracted by an interesting scene.

"Fionna." Marshall said, and grabbed her arms so he could make her face him.

She sighed.

"Fine." She said.

A while later, Fionna had told him everything.

"WHAT A PRICK." Marshall said with feeling.

Marshall hadn't really liked him before but now, well now he hated him! Why would he even do that to Fionna? He knew how much of a crush she had on him, something Marshall had come to despise recently, even though he tried not to. He turned back to Fionna who was nodding in agreement.

"What he said was right though. There's no way someone like him would ever go for me." She said softly.

Marshall was shocked, "Why on earth would you think that Fi?"

"Well…because he's a prince, he can get any girl he wants, any princess he wants actually! He could get someone that's pretty and smart and fun and lady-like. Why would anyone pick me over that?" Fionna replied in a matter of fact way.

Marshall couldn't believe it. Fionna actually thought this was true! He had started to get so angry his fists were clenching. That stupid Prince had Fionna thinking she was nothing, and he knew that wasn't true at all.

"Fionna, I know you have some super crush on him or whatever" Marshall said, his voice bitter,

"But you are better than any princess he could get! You are pretty and smart and fun. You might not be lady-like but who even cares about that? You have much more going for you than being able to use the right fork at a dinner party. You don't need all that because you are an amazing as you are. And no one, not even a Prince should make you feel like you're not worth anything, especially a Prince who is meant to be your friend. Okay?"

Fionna sat there, gobsmacked. Marshall Lee, the boy who had pranked and teased her for years, the flirtatious bad guy who never really expressed his true feelings, had just made her feel like the most special girl in Aaa. She had probably been staring at Marshall for a while because he had started to laugh.

"Yeah, I can be sweet sometimes." He chuckled.

* * *

Marshall had left about an hour ago, saying he had stuff to plan for LSP's party which he had invited her to. Fionna was excited for the party but she also had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hated to admit it but it was pretty similar to the feeling she used to get around Prince Gumball. When she was around Marshall everything was fun. He made her feel comfortable and at ease. It was a much nicer feeling than when she had liked Gumball because then she was always nervous about the things she said and did because she had wanted him to like her back so much. Fionna didn't want to like Marshall in that way, but she did. Life would be much easier if she didn't get crushes on her friends, it made things awkward. This time, however, she vowed not to make it obvious. If Marshall never found out then he couldn't reject her.

At least she had the beach party tomorrow, which Marshall had personally invited her to. Not that it meant anything. Or did it mean something? Maybe he had meant they could go together, like a date?! No, probably not. But what if he did mean it like that? Why was it so confusing?! Fionna screamed in frustration.

" .BOYS."

* * *

Cake woke Fionna early in the morning. She had gotten home late last night but that didn't stop her.

"Cake, seriously, you might not need sleep but I do!" Fionna grumbled from under the covers and chucked her pillow at Cake.

"Girl you need to get up! We have to get ready for the party tonight!" Cake replied, pulling the blankets off the bed.

"CAKE!" Fionna shouted, "The party is TONIGHT. As in starts at seven. SEVEN PM."

Cake just sighed.

"I told LSP we'd get some stuff for his party and we need to travel quite far to get it." She said, slightly irritated that Fionna was still trying to go back to sleep.

Finally admitting defeat, Fionna got up, showered and dressed in her adventuring clothes. When both the girls had eaten they set off to find everything on LSP's long list of 'party essentials' as he called them.

Hours later and Fionna and Cake found themselves bruised and exhausted. Some of the things LSP wanted had been CRAZY. For example, they had just fought their way through an enchanted forest to get some rare kind of magical berries that LSP said were a must for a good party. Fionna didn't know what they did but for all this effort, they better be pretty amazing.

They trudged home together, wanting to rest but knowing they had to get ready for the party. Actually, this had perked Cake up. It hadn't had the same effect on Fionna who was arguing that it was perfectly fine to wear her dirty, ripped clothes to the party.

"Fionna, this is LSP's party we're going to. It will be the party of the year. Everyone will be wearing something nice and you will look like a tramp." Cake said, raising her eyebrows at the sulking girl.

"I am not wearing some frilly pink dress Cake." Fionna replied grumpily, "I don't care about anyone else but I refuse to do it."

She crossed her arms and looked into Cake's eyes, daring her to argue.

"I didn't even mention pink Fionna; you can wear a casual summery dress or something. It's that or you're not going to the party because I will not stand next to you wearing THAT." Cake finally said.

Fionna just rolled her eyes and went to pick out a dress from the hundreds Cake kept buying for her.

Fionna finally came back downstairs, much cleaner and tidier than before. She was wearing a plain, burgundy skater dress, the most comfortable looking dress she could find after the tons she searched through. When she walked down, she saw Cake had also cleaned up and had on a cute, pink, glittery choker.

"Oh girl that dress looks great on you!" Cake squealed.

"Thanks Cake" Fionna smiled, "you look really cute too!"

Cake just winked in reply and they both laughed. Fionna looked around in case she had forgotten anything and when she was certain they had everything she reached for the door handle. A hand came down from nowhere and slapped her wrist.

"Ouch!" Fiona shrieked, rubbing her wrist, "What was that for?!"

Cake held an outstretched paw for Fionna's hat.

"Nu-uh" Fiona said, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

Cake just reached her hand out further and stared menacingly into Fionna's eyes.

"Please Cake! I hate taking it off!" Fionna pleaded.

"Honey, I know you like it but it makes your outfit look shabby!" Cake replied.

For some reason Fionna's thoughts drifted to Marshall. She imagined herself walking in, hair bouncing and dress flowing in the breeze. She pictured his face, not being able to take his eyes off her. Fionna shook away the thought; taking off her hat wouldn't make her suddenly beautiful. But she could at least try.

Fionna quickly took off her hat and let her wavy, blonde hair fall past her shoulders. She handed the hat to a shocked Cake as if it was no big deal then opened the door and walked out.

* * *

They quickly arrived at the beach, large groups of people had already gathered there. A tall bonfire was blazing away in the background and its crackling could only just be heard above the constant noise of talking. Cake rushed over to Lord Monochromicorn who was setting stuff out on the table and she joined him, offering him one of the berries she and Fionna had worked so hard to find. It was starting to get darker and the evening breeze was cool and refreshing. Fionna searched through the crowds for Marshall, so much for her little daydream, he'd never see her amongst all these people. Still, she continued walking around, looking for him with determination.

Marshall was on stage, making sure everything was set up for the first song. He strummed his guitar and smiled, he loved the sound of it. The sound of commotion made him look up; the crowds were all heading over towards the tables where the food was. He couldn't see what was happening because there was so many of them but he could hear LSP shouting.

"I TOLD YOU THOSE BERRIES WERE AWESOME!"

"I want some!" another voice called out,

"Me too, me too!"

Marshall chuckled and turned his attention back to where everyone had been standing once before. There was only one person left standing there. Fionna.

The moonlight reflected against her hair making it shine. She walked with graceful steps, wearing a dress which fitted her perfectly. Marshall just stood there, staring. She looked amazing. He watched her as she bit her lip and frowned, looking around. He just wanted to jump off stage and grab her, but he couldn't. All he could do was stand there and watch her walk around, thinking about how beautiful she looked in that dress. The noise of his guitar falling to the floor made him and Fionna jump. He looked up and their eyes met. A smile spread across her face and Marshall couldn't help but grin in response. Now he was certain he liked Fionna. There was no point trying to refuse it, it was obvious. And as she walked towards him, he felt the happiest he ever had in his life.

Fionna had reached the stage. Marshall crouched down so he didn't tower over her quite so much.

"Hi" Fionna said, suddenly shy.

"Hi" Marshall grinned back.

They were pretty close, if Fionna stood on her tiptoes their faces would touch. She badly wanted to reach up and kiss him but she kept her feet firmly on the ground, not wanting to embarrass herself. The noises in the background faded, the voices were barely a whisper and the once pounding music had softened to a lullaby. Neither Fionna nor Marshall were focussing on it, they were in their own little bubble.

Marshall reached out his hand and Fionna took it. He pulled her up on to the stage in one swift motion. Fionna stumbled and leaned on Marshall's chest to steady herself, not entirely sure if she had actually fallen or if she had just wanted to touch him. She blushed and took a step back, looking down.

"WHO'S READY FOR SOME LIVE MUSIC?" They heard LSP shout in the background and their moment was ruined.

Disappointed, they both looked at each other sheepishly and Fionna left the stage to join the crowd, ready for Marshall's performance.


	7. Chapter 7

Fionna had been dancing for hours. Her feet hurt and her body ached all over but she just couldn't stop. She had no idea what time it was and she didn't really care. The song that had been playing had come to an end and Fionna walked over to the drinks table. She looked up, she was sure she had saw something moving in the distance. Not so far away, she could see a figure standing among the dark trees where the light from the bonfire did not reach. The figure gestured for Fionna to come closer but Fionna wasn't stupid, she wouldn't go running off into the woods for some complete stranger. She shook her head and went to turn around and find Cake when the figure took a few steps forward to where the light just reached. It was Marshall.

Fionna grinned and checked Cake hadn't seen her, then she ran over to him. Once she had reached him he took her hand, still not saying anything, and lead her deeper into the forest. Fionna loved the feeling of his hand in hers and for once she didn't blush.

* * *

Marshall would have been tired, if it weren't for the adrenaline rush he got performing in front of crowds. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve, playing for hours always made him sweat. He had just finished his last song and was ready to jump off stage and enjoy the rest of the party. He looked around for Fionna, slightly disappointed she wasn't there waiting for him. He had watched her dancing all night; she had looked so carefree and cute. But where was she now? He walked over to where Cake and Lord Monochromicorn were dancing together.

"Cake, where's Fionna?" Marshall asked.

He could tell she wasn't really listening; she was too busy having a good time.

"Uh, don't know" She replied, still dancing, "maybe she went to get a drink".

Marshall decided to leave the two alone and headed towards the drinks table. LSP was there, gulping down two or three cups of whatever was being served. When Marshall walked over to him, LSP grinned and patted him on the shoulder.

"That was great bro; your music is just the best." He said loudly having to shout over the music they now had playing from a large stereo.

Better than this crap anyways Marshall thought to himself.

"Thanks LSP; by the way have you seen Fionna anywhere?" He said instead.

"Uh…nah, she was dancing the last time I saw her" LSP replied then his attention turned to a group of people trying to walk off with a bowl of what looked like berries.

"HEY, GET YOUR HANDS OF THOSE!" LSP shouted and ran over to them.

Marshall sighed, where the hell was Fionna? She wouldn't have gone home without telling him. Maybe he just hadn't looked hard enough. He waded through the crowds of people swaying to the music.

"Fionna!" He called, but no one heard him and soon he was swallowed up by the sea of people.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Fionna asked.

She was perfectly content walking around holding hands with Marshall; she'd probably go anywhere he asked her to. Marshall just smiled and didn't say anything. They were in the middle of the forest when they came to a clearing. It would have been pitch black if it wasn't for the little fairy lights that had been strung up in the branches of the trees. They looked like little fireflies dancing in the breeze. Fionna walked towards the centre of the clearing, dazed. She spun around, in the middle there was white picnic blanket surrounded by beautiful flowers and candles. There was gentle music playing from somewhere and the air smelled of something strange. It was magical.

"Marshall" Fionna whispered, "This is beautiful."

Before she could turn around she could feel Marshall standing behind her.

"There's one more surprise" He whispered in reply and he tied a blindfold around Fionna's eyes.

Fionna giggled and wondered what the surprise was. She was so happy; no one had ever made her feel this way before. She couldn't believe Marshall would do this for her, Cake was so wrong; Marshall was definitely not a bad guy.

* * *

The Ice Queen had heard of a party taking place at the beach. She was outraged that she hadn't been invited. How dare they! Well she was planning on making them regret that choice. Chuckling mischievously to herself, she flew quickly to the beach. Before arriving, her attention was drawn to a clearing in the woods. There were lights everywhere and music playing. Did they move the party? Ice queen frowned and flew down to get a closer look. She hovered above the tops of the trees. There was no one there except Fionna and Ashley.

Ashley! She still owed the Ice Queen money from the last time they met at the Wizard's market. The Ice Queen was about to swoop down and take the money from her when she paused, curious as to what was going on. Fionna was blindfolded and Ashley was leading her over to a blanket surrounded with flowers and candles. Ashley made Fionna lie down on the blanket and walked over to a chest that was hidden behind the trunk of a large tree. Using her powers, Ashley picked up some large, heavy-looking chains from the chest and gestured with her hands towards Fionna. The chains flew over to Fionna and wrapped around her tightly.

"HEY! What are you doing Marshall?!" The Ice Queen heard Fionna shout as she squirmed to get free.

Marshall…why did Fionna think Ashley was Marshall? Usually the Ice Queen would have become bored of the situation by now; she didn't have much compassion for others anyways. But she was curious to see what Ashley planned to do with the girl, and she wanted her money back.

Ashley chuckled which made Fionna stop squirming. She was very still, her body stiff.

"…Marshall?" She whispered.

"No" laughed Ashley, "sorry to disappoint you."

"ASHLEY!" Fionna shouted, realising who it was keeping her captive, "What are you doing?!"

That was just what the Ice Queen was wondering. She flew over to a nearby tree where she could still get a good view of the show and made herself a chair from Ice in the branches. She sat down and watched intently.

Ashley walked closer to Fionna and crouched beside her.

"Well Fionna, ever since me and Marshall broke up; I've wanted to get back together with him. Since it was your fault we broke up in the first place, you can help us get back together" Ashley told her, and walked back over to the chest where she searched around for something.

"It wasn't my fault you broke up!" Fionna shouted at her, "You were horrible to him!"

"Yes" Ashley snapped back, "but he never would have realised if you hadn't told him everything."

Everything was quiet for a while; Fionna was too frustrated to reply and had started to squirm again, desperate to be free of the heavy chains. The Ice Queen could see she was starting to tire herself out, why had she never thought of chains when capturing Fionna and Cake in the past. Sure, Ice was fine, but it could be broken easily and not to mention the fact that it started to melt after a while. She'd go and buy some chains when she next had a chance. Actually she could just take Ashley's. She sat back in her cold seat and carried on watching.

"Just tell me what you're going to do" Fionna pleaded, she didn't have her usual confidence but you could tell in her voice that she was still trying to sound brave.

"Well" Ashley said calmly, "First I'm going to cut out your heart using this dagger."

She pulled out a sharp blade that gleamed in the light. It had a crooked brown handle with wooden vines carved into it.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Fionna screamed angrily, "There's no way you're cutting out my heart!"

Ashley continued as if Fionna hadn't said anything.

"Then, once you're dead, I'm going to perform a very special ritual." She said and pulled out a red, silk cloth from the chest.

She walked over to Fionna and as she spoke and gestured towards the chains. The twisted so that Fionna's arms were free, which Ashley then pinned down so they were stretched out beside her, using some kind of magic to hold them there as the Ice Queen could see nothing physical pinning them down. The chains left a gap so that Fionna's dress was visible. The gap was just above the place where Fionna's heart lay, beating inside her chest.

Fionna struggled franticly but it was no use, the chains held her down so she could barely even breathe.

Even the Ice Queen felt disturbed. If Fionna was dead then her life would get pretty boring, there'd be no one to stop her capturing princes. Whilst this was a good thing, she had come to enjoy the two girls turning up and rescuing the princes. They were the closet thing she had to friends. Still, the Ice Queen sat there to see what else Ashley had planned.

"Once I've done that" Ashley continued, "I'll take everything that makes you who you are for myself. I'll have your heroic heart, your pathetic compassion and everything else that has made Marshall like you over me."

Fionna was silent, processing what Ashley had said.

"I don't really want to be like you Fionna, but it has to be done because I need Marshall back and you're only a small sacrifice if I can have him." Ashley smirked and stood up so she towered over a panicked Fionna.

"This has worked out much better than I had expected" Ashley grinned, "I thought we would have been interrupted by that stupid cat friend of yours or perhaps even Marshall seeing as he barely lets you out of his sight nowadays. But since no one cares enough to come and find you, I can focus all my energy on taking out your little human heart."

She raised the dagger over her head and smiled, things were going exactly as planned.

* * *

Marshall had barely made it out of the crowds alive. He sat down in the sand; things were not going as he had planned. He thought he and Fionna would be dancing together by now, he had pictured it so many times whilst performing on stage and he was frustrated that it hadn't turned out the way he wanted.

She must have left. Marshall thought things had been going well before, he felt like they were on the same page. But Fionna had obviously thought differently. He might as well go home, there was nothing keeping him here anymore. Just as he had started to walk off Cake ran up to him.

"Did you find Fionna in the end?" Cake asked, slightly out of breath from all the dancing.

"No" Marshall replied and hung his head; "she must have went home or whatever".

He tried to sound as if he didn't particularly care but when he looked up at Cake she had a worried expression spread across her face and it made Marshall start to panic.

"Why? Have you seen her?" He asked hurriedly.

"No but I was talking to Ms Cupcake and she said she seen Fionna walking off towards the forest." Cake said and the anxiety in her tone was obvious.

"What?! Where's Ms Cupcake?" Marshall asked and searched around.

He spotted her over by the stage and ran over to her, Cake following in pursuit.

"Hey! Are you sure about Fionna going off into the woods?" Marshall asked quickly.

Ms Cupcake was still dancing as she spoke,

"Yeah, she was with you." She replied calmly.

Marshall froze and behind him he could sense Cake's anger.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Cake shouted

"I swear Cake I don't know! I got off stage and she had already gone, why would I be making such a fuss if I knew where she was right now?" Marshall said his fingers twitched nervously.

Cake looked towards the dark forest.

"I believe you" She said and they both ran off towards the gloomy trees.

* * *

Fionna had never been more scared in her life. Yeah, she had battled giant monsters much more ferocious than Ashley but she had never felt as trapped as this. Fionna had always been able to fight back and now there was nothing she could do. She didn't have Cake for backup and she doubted anyone had even noticed she was missing from the party. Not even Marshall.

She watched Ashley bring the knife above her head, grasping it with both hands. Fionna never knew Ashley was this…evil. Yeah she was an idiot and treated Marshall like crap but was she seriously about to murder Fionna just to get him back?

As if it was in slow motion, Fionna watched the blade gleaming in the light as it lunged towards her chest. She closed her eyes and prepared for the impact.

Nothing. There was nothing.

Fionna was too scared to open her eyes, was she dead? Finally she gathered the courage and slowly opened her eyes one at a time.

There Ashley was, holding the knife barely an inch away from Fionna's chest. She was completely covered in ice from head to toe; only the blade was left untouched from its cold grasp. Fionna let out a sigh of agonizing relief. She looked up to see the Ice Queen hovering a few metres above Ashley. Before Fionna could say anything the Ice Queen flew off into the night, leaving Fionna lying there, a puzzled look on her face. The chains were still tight around her body but Fionna's hands were now free. She brought them in to her chest and rubbed her wrists, they were sore, as if it had been actual rope tying them down. In the distance she could hear voices, she didn't know whether to call out or not but whoever it was surely they would help?

"Hey! Over here!" She shouted.

At the sound of her voice, the footsteps quickened in her direction.

"Oh my Glob! Fionna!" The voice shouted and she saw it was Marshall.

He rushed over to her side and grabbed her hand. At first Fionna was unsure whether or not to trust him, after all she had been sure that Ashley was Marshall before. Marshall frowned at her.

"What's wrong, it's me." He said, slightly hurt.

Then he noticed the blade above Fionna's chest and as he looked up his eyes widened as he saw it was Ashley who was holding it. He stumbled back, shocked.

"Ashley did this to you?" He whispered.

Something in his voice made Fionna trust he was the real Marshall. She nodded and then spoke.

"Yeah, and I'd be really grateful if you'd get me out of here."

* * *

Cake was still wondering around the forest when she heard voices. She and Marshall had split up to try and find Fionna, he must have found her! Cake ran as fast as she could towards the voices and was relieved to see Fionna standing next to Marshall, unharmed. She watched the two from a distance, Marshall had his hand on Fionna's arm and she was sheepishly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Cake didn't like the fact that it was Marshall she was with but didn't want to ruin their moment. She just stood there and watched as Fionna reached up and kissed Marshall gently. Deciding Fionna was safe; Cake turned and started walking back to the party. She smiled to herself; finally Fionna had found someone that could like her back.

Back at the party, Cake looked around to see everyone was running around in panic. There was ice everywhere, the tables were tipped over and food was spread all over the floor. The Ice Queen was swooping around in the air, blasting ice wildly towards anyone that moved.

"NEXT TIME YOU'LL THINK CAREFULLY BEOFORE DECIDING NOT TO INVITE ME TO YOUR PARTY" She screeched.

Cake sighed, that woman was seriously crazy.


End file.
